Student success the focus for PSU faculty

Some are veteran teachers with numerous honors and awards. Others are just beginning their careers as educators. What the nearly 200 Pittsburg State University faculty members at Wednesday’s Professional Development Day have in common is a desire to be even better at their profession.

Some are veteran teachers with numerous honors and awards. Others are just beginning their careers as educators. What the nearly 200 Pittsburg State University faculty members at Wednesday’s Professional Development Day have in common is a desire to be even better at their profession.

The theme for PSU’s sixth annual Faculty Professional Development Day, which runs from 10:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. in Grubbs Hall, is “The first year: student success and retention.”

After opening remarks by Provost Lynette Olson and Brenda Frieden, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, the attendees will hear an address by Joe Cuseo, an educational adviser and consultant for AVID—a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the college access and success of underserved student populations.

The remainder of the day will be devoted to dozens of break-out sessions on topics ranging from digital storytelling, researching funding opportunities, student retention, academic misconduct, and cultural sensitivity in the classroom to the importance of general education classes and how to teach abstract ideas.